Our History of Shaping the Future

BCG began not as another management consulting firm but as a pioneer of bold, new approaches to running a company.

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Thinking beyond the obvious to create long-term impact for its clients for more than 50 years

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Helping organizations make the changes needed to seize competitive advantage—and to win—has always been BCG’s raison d'être. Since 1963, we have been helping leaders and their organizations build lasting advantage. The independent spirit handed down from Bruce Henderson, BCG's founder—always challenging the status quo—has given the firm the courage to look beyond the obvious to find solutions for the past 50 years.

Henderson, who would have been 100 years old in April 2015, was a pioneer in business strategy and a key figure in the development of management consulting. His writings reveal a visionary who excelled at challenging the status quo, a brilliant thinker, and a man of action, driven by a strong sense of purpose.

The breakthrough ideas that BCG developed—and continues to develop today—have become business canon and helped establish our reputation in the marketplace. And the core values established by BCG played a large role in making the firm what it is today—while continuing to guide our work on a daily basis.

What is it about us that has enabled us to sustain this level of performance for so long? The first is a remarkably enduring set of values and aspirations; the second has been our willingness to evolve and adapt in pursuit of those aspirations.

We're always searching for what is powerful, for what will really make a difference. We believe that being good is not good enough. The timeless sense of purpose and the constant call for renewal will be the thread that connects us across decades and across generations.

Ideas

When BCG adopted “strategy” as its specialty, it ignited a process that would revolutionize business management forever. From the beginning, the firm’s passion for ideas has been its mark of distinction. At BCG, ideas create value. The experience curve and the growth share matrix, with their insights into competitive advantage, set the stage for future developments and initiatives.

Over the years, a constant flow of ideas and analyses, emerging from discussions with colleagues and collaborations with clients, have contributed to BCG’s unparalleled record of strategic breakthroughs and thought leadership.

In the 1970s and 1980s, nearly half the Fortune 500 are reported to have used BCG’s growth share matrix to design and operate their strategies. Today, technology is transforming every facet of the business experience.

Impact

When Bruce Henderson founded BCG, he envisioned that it might someday change the world. Through collaboration with clients, orchestration of strategy, and recognition of distinctive organizational dynamics, BCG consultants have guided industry leaders toward recognizing and responding to their changing world, helping them to capitalize on emerging opportunities, and seizing the competitive advantage.

With true insight and the ability to transform it into action, BCG has driven real change in organizations and fulfilled Henderson’s vision. BCG has not only transformed the way the world does business but also fundamentally changed the game.

Inside the Journey

We have changed the whole nature of American business. And tomorrow we can change the world, too.

Bruce Henderson

Founder and CEO, 1963-1980

Our work internally and with our clients depends on the understanding that we care honestly and deeply about helping them succeed . . . Making it happen is an iterative process of translating insights into convictions and actions.

Alan Zakon

CEO, 1980-1985

BCG has been able to build bridges between our history and our future and between our old and new values. It has helped us keep alive a BCG culture that relied on persuasion rather than coercion, a continuing challenge as the pace of change accelerates.

John Clarkeson

CEO, 1986-1997

Belief is the imperative of competitive advantage, and the power of insight to deliver it, is what differentiates BCG. It is the essence of our soul. That is why I love this firm.

Carl Stern

CEO, 1998-2003

The first and most obvious reason that we've succeeded is that we are really part of the solution for so many clients. We rolled up our sleeves, helped clients to identify the key areas for improvement, and then ensured that things got done.

Through the Years

1963: The adventure begins. Bruce D. Henderson, in a "room with one desk and no telephone," founds the Management Consulting Division of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company.
1966: BCG becomes the first Western strategy consulting firm in Japan, with the acquisition of TFM Adams.
1968: Sandra Moose joins BCG as one of the first female management consultants in the industry. She becomes a BCG director in 1975 and senior partner in 1989.
1973: BCG's radical thinking in the world of business and finance has caught on, and the firm celebrates its tenth anniversary—while surpassing $7 million in revenues. In the 1970s, BCG expands to Europe, opening offices in London, Paris, Munich, and Milan.
1985: The firm completes its first project in China for the Shanghai Machine and Electric Company.
1992: An era ends with Bruce Henderson's passing. "Few people have had as much impact on international business in the second half of the 20th century as the founder of The Boston Consulting Group," the Financial Times eulogized.
2004: BCG publishes its first social impact report, Making a Difference. To make as positive a global impact as possible, BCG partners with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Save the Children, Teach For All, World Food Programme, and WWF. Through local partnerships, our people also make tangible contributions to the communities in which they work.
2007: Fortune names BCG the best small company in America and ranks it for the first time in its “100 Best Companies to Work For.” BCG has remained on the list ever since.
2013: BCG celebrates 50 years. It is BCG's people—past and present—who have made the firm the leader it is.
Today: BCG has over 16,000 employees in more than 90 offices across 50 countries.

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